Five foundations for a successful startup

In the past few years the number of successful start-ups has noted an increase and many entrepreneurs from all around the UK have decided to share their secret of success. Sally Ockwell, who is a brand manager for the UK Domain Portfolio at Nominet explains the five things that according to her can be crucial for the future of your business.

The Vital Role of Online Visibility

We live in a virtual society where the online visibility plays a vital role in the success of the startup. One of the most important things is to register your business on the proper domain and make your web site easily accessible for everybody who might be interested in your field of work. Your web site will be your tool to reach to potential customers and show them that you are good at what you are doing. Invest a lot of time and effort in designing your web site and communicate with the customers. This will be your new office so make it as representable as possible.

In order to get the visibility you want you will need to do a lot of research and see what your customers are looking for. This will help you identify the relevant keywords and get your web site a better ranking within the search engines. There is no end to the work that needs to be done on your web site. You should always analyze your content, the visitors and their requirements and find a way to improve every detail that might bring more traffic. Use the feedback in your favor and once you learn how to listen to the market your business will blossom.

Trust and Confidence

If you want people to believe in your idea, you need to believe in it first. It’s all about having confidence in what you do and be aware of the skills and abilities you have. If you can show people that you have faith in the job you are doing they too will follow your example. Don’t be discouraged if you fell reluctant for a certain aspect of your business. Instead try to identify that area and ask for help. If your friends can’t give you the help you need consider contacting some professional help, it will boost your skills and strengthen your business.

We can see many examples of people who found trust as a crucial element for the success of their business. Since you are working for yourself and there isn’t anybody to tell you how to do the job, you mustn’t lose faith. It will be difficult at times and you would probably want to give up at some point but that is all just part of the game. When you fell down, get up, dust off the dirt and keep going. It will get better.

Manpower

Your business will be your baby and you will be the one making all the decisions around it. In order to ensure stability you would need to be surrounded by the people you trust. You will need all the support you can get and you need to know that you have a team of reliable people who are watching over your back. Don’t be afraid to be picky about the people you work with. At the end of the day it is you the one who makes the call who stays and who goes, regardless of what others might feel about it. Make a good judgement and never regret your decisions.

Website Visibility and Maintenance

We’ve already mentioned that one of the key elements for your startup is a web site that will represent your business. However, having a quality web site is not a guarantee for success. Therefore you would need to find the best way to promote your web site to the world and find the best method to generate traffic. Good marketing can open you many doors so make sure you think it through from the very start.

It is true that the engaging content you create and the design of your web site are very important but they are only the pillars of your online business. We all have a virtual life that is slowly overshadowing the physical one so make sure to use that in your favor. There are many ways you can use the power of the internet to attract customers and help people learn about the things you do. One of the things you can do is to create a newsletter that will contain some relevant information about your social networking. Add a link that will take customers directly to your web site and you will increase the chances of creating more traffic. You can also write a killer press release that will attract the attention of the media and help you in your promotion. Do whatever it takes to make some noise and increase the visibility of your business.

Patience and Consistency

At the end remember that everything good in life requires a lot of effort and a lot of time. Don’t rush things and don’t expect you will become successful over time. Give your business an opportunity to develop with its own pace and progress gradually. That is the only way you can look forward to a stabile business with a potential to grow and bring more profit. Think carefully about every step you take, plan and anticipate the future. Although you would probably find it easier to plan your activities day-to-day at the long run you would see that it is not something that can work well. Look far in the future and modify your plans as you go along the way.

To wrap things up here are a few things you need to remember if you are aiming towards a successful startup:

Do your homework – make your web site easily accessible and create reader friendly content. Don’t fill it in with fluff, as that will turn away your potential customers.

Respect the feedback – believe in what you do and don’t let bad feedback destroy your confidence. Instead see the bad feedback as a positive criticism that aims at improving your business and make it work for you.

Be selective – choose carefully the people you will work with and don’t settle for anything that is not according to your expectations.

Be loud – promote your web site and let the world know you exist. That is the only way you can feed your business.

Plan the future – make long-term plans for the future and modify them as you go along.